PM vows 'religious rights' review after gay marriage

MALCOLM Turnbull has moved to clear another hurdle in the way of gay marriage being legal by Christmas by launching a separate review of religious freedoms in Australia.

The Prime Minister announced this morning he had ordered a review into "whether Australian law adequately protects the human right to religious freedom" which will not report back to the government until March 31, 2018.

It heads off calls from conservative MPs within the Coalition for a raft of amendments to the bill on same-sex marriage which had threatened to delay the legislation passing this year.